Image: Octopi Media.

Southwick’s Pro Motocross round marked a convincing return to competition for Rockstar Energy GASGAS Factory Racing’s Justin Barcia, with the 450MX contender claiming P9 overall courtesy of 10-9 moto scores.

After injuring his knee at the 14th round of Monster Energy Supercross in East Rutherford, the 33-year-old has since been on the sidelines, missing the opening four rounds of Pro Motocross during his recovery process.

Making his return to racing at Southwick, Barcia raced to a 10-9 scorecard across the motos, which was enough to earn the New York native a solid ninth overall upon his return.

“Today was challenging,” commented Barcia post-race. “It was good to be back with the crew and the team. I wouldn’t say it was a fun day because Southwick is pretty brutal! The fans are awesome, so that was a positive, and a top 10 is not too bad after coming straight from therapy.”

As for goals throughout the remaining rounds, Barcia indicated that his only expectation for the season is to enjoy racing, which will coincide with the end of his tenure at the Factory GASGAS squad at the year’s conclusion after five seasons with the team.

“My only goal is to be out here racing and having fun,” continued Barcia. “This is my last hurrah with the GASGAS team, obviously, that chapter is coming to an end, so I want to be out here racing, having fun, and enjoying it. I feel like I have zero pressure on my shoulders, and I feel like that’s a good place to be. We’ll just build through Pro Motocross and into SMX.”